Catching up with old friends: Former Patriots in the playoffs

With the playoffs upon us, we're catching up with old Patriots friends who are now in the NFL postseason with other teams. First up? Former Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss.

Moss played for the Patriots from 2007 until 2010. During his time in New England, Moss recorded 3,904 yards and 50 touchdowns. Since joining the San Francisco 49ers this year, Moss has 3 touchdowns and 434 yards going into the playoffs.

Check out other former Patriots players and coaches, where they are and what they are doing to help push their teams through the playoffs in their quests for Super Bowl XLVII.
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AP

Adam Vinatieri

Kicker Adam Vinatieri was a staple on the Patriots’ roster for 10 seasons from 1996 until 2005. In his career, he's made 413 of 500 field goal attempts and missed only 10 of 636 extra point attempts. With the Colts, his longest field goal yardage is 53 yards and he has been perfect in extra points four of the past five seasons.
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AP

Pete Carroll

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll replaced Bill Parcell as New England’s head coach in 1997. He was fired after two seasons and replaced by Bill Belichick in 1999.

“Everything that is now the philosophy, the approach, the mentality, the language, everything, came out of that experience,” said Carroll on being fired from the Patriots. “It gave me the opportunity to put something in motion that I’m really, really proud of.”

Carroll coached college football at Southern Cal before becoming the Seahawks’ head coach in 2010. He guided the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and a wild-card berth. The Seahawks face the Redskins in their first playoff game this season.
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Getty Images

BenJarvus Green-Ellis

After playing four seasons with the Patriots from 2008 until 2011, running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis left as a free agent and donned a different team’s jersey at the start of 2012: orange and black for the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Bengals, Green-Ellis had a career-high for season yardage with 1,094 yards and had six touchdowns, but also had the first fumble of his career and finished the season with three fumbles. Green-Ellis is struggling with a hamstring injury, one that could potentially keep him out of the Bengals’ playoff game against the Texans.
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AP

Asante Samuel

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel played for New England from the beginning of his professional career in 2003 through 2007 for five full seasons, including a pair of Super Bowl championship seasons.

This is Samuel’s first year with the Falcons, and despite a shoulder injury that kept him on the bench while the Falcons lost to the Panthers in early December, Samuel has had five interceptions and 36 tackles this season. He left the Patriots in 2008 and played four seasons in Philadelphia before moving to Atlanta.
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The Boston Globe

Brad Seely

Before joining the 49ers in 2011, Brad Seely (pictured far right) spent 10 years under Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick as New England’s special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. He holds the same positions in San Francisco, but is also being mentioned as a possible candidate for a head coaching job.
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AP

Darius Butler

Darius Butler played for the Patriots in 2009 and 2010. The cornerback started four of 11 games he’s appeared in for the Indianapolis Colts this season, and recorded 31 tackles, four interceptions and two touchdowns.
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AP

Dean Pees

Dean Pees served as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick from 2004 to 2009. Pees’ contract with New England expired in 2009 and he opted not to return, instead taking a job as linebackers coach for the Ravens in 2010 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2012.
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AP

James Ihedigbo

James Ihedigbo, a defensive back for the Baltimore Ravens, had 25 combined tackles for his team this season. He had 69 in his only season with the Patriots in 2011.

Alex Silvestro (not pictured), a practice squad tight end for the Ravens, was signed by the Patriots as a defensive end in 2011 when he was an undrafted free agent. Silvestro made the switch to the Ravens this season after being released by the Patriots.
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AP

Dom Capers

Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator Dom Capers, was special assistant to Bill Belichick in 2008. He signed on with the Packers in January of 2009.
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AP

Brandon Tate

Bengals wide receiver Brandon Tate, played for the Patriots for two games in 2009 and 16 in 2010. This season, Tate recorded 211 yards and one touchdown on 13 receptions in 16 games for Cincinnati.

Bengals’ practice squad quarterback Zac Robinson (not pictured) has never seen time in a game but did have a brief stint with the Patriots during training camp in 2010 after the Patriots drafted him.
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AP

Sergio Brown

Colts defensive back Sergio Brown is new to Indianapolis this year after playing for New England in 2010 and 2011. While he hasn’t started any of his 16 games with the Colts, he has 11 combined tackles for the season.
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AP

Brandon Meriweather

After making only one appearance with the Washington Redskins, strong safety Brandon Meriweather is out for the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee. Meriweather spent four full seasons with the Patriots between 2007 and 2010, and played for the Bears in 2011.

Also injured this season is Denver Broncos’ defensive tackle Ty Warren (not pictured), who played for New England from 2003-2009. Warren sustained a tricep injury during training camp at the start of the season and was placed on injured reserve.
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The Boston Globe

Blast from the past

He may never have played for the New England Patriots, but Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan was a favorite at Boston College, where he played from 2004 to 2007. He won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year in 2007 and was drafted third overall by the Falcons in 2008.
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